How To Effectively Treat Cardiomyopathy

Pacemaker Or Defibrillator

These medical devices are designed to monitor heart rhythm and to make sure it doesn't get erratic. Weak or rapidly-changing heartbeats are a common problem with those who have cardiomyopathy, and when a pacemaker or defibrillator notices your heartbeat is irregular or unsafe, it will send a light shock to it to regulate it.

This method often works best when paired with heart medication and a heart-friendly lifestyle. Like other methods of care, though, this one is designed to manage the symptoms of the disease. Unfortunately, it won't decrease the thickness of your heart muscles. This treatment is most appropriate for those who already have heart problems requiring the use of a pacemaker. However, studies have shown improving a person's heartbeat can also minimize some of the severe heart pressure and strain that triggers cardiomyopathy in the first place.

Surgery

Patients whose cardiomyopathy has advanced beyond medication often turn to surgery to manage this issue. Septal myectomy is probably the most common of the operations available. It involves opening up the chest to cut away thickened heart muscle. This muscle is carefully trimmed, not removed, to ensure no cardiac arrest occurs. Once this surgical treatment is finished, the blood should flow more efficiently throughout the heart. This treatment is most often focused on the septal wall of the heart located between the left ventricle and aorta.

Most patients who receive this type of therapy will feel an almost immediate improvement in their cardiomyopathy symptoms and may be able to do many things they were unable to due to the disease. One nice thing about this method is it's minimally invasive, as the heart is not exposed the way it would be in open-heart treatments. Instead, a small cannula is inserted into a small incision on the chest to inspect the heart and cut away the thickened muscle.